THE 39-DAY DISASTER

The press room was heaving with reporters.

Spilling into the walkways and leaning on the floor to take notes, journalists jostled for position, trying to find a snug spot to tell their story.

Kettering vs Droylsden was the hottest ticket in town, but it was the home dugout – rather than the pitch – that was attracting all of the interest. Inside it was Paul Gascoigne, 38 years old and forever the headline maker. This time, he was diverting a spotlight to the sixth tier as the Conference North’s newest boss.

The Poppies, a part-time outfit getting sub-1,000 crowds, were now the centre of attention. More than 2,000 supporters queued to see Gazza take his bow, while the nation’s press descended on the Northamptonshire market town for a new chapter in the life of English football’s most colourful character.

“I lived in a flat that was walking distance from Rockingham Road,” says defender Craig McIlwain, who was playing for the club when Gascoigne grabbed the reins in October 2005. “Ordinarily I’d walk to the ground and rarely encounter anybody, but once Gazza arrived there were national press vehicles and vans all around the stadium. That was an indicator of how things would change while Gazza was in charge. It was a crazy time.”

STRICTLY SILLY SEASON

The circus had rolled into town a couple of days earlier when a dapper Gascoigne, suited and booted in open-collared ensemble, was officially unveiled as the Poppies’ boss.

The only anomaly in the former Newcastle, Spurs and Rangers midfielder’s smart new appearance was a large bandage on his neck, protecting a scar from surgery on vertebrae damaged while training for the BBC’s Strictly Ice Dancing the previous winter.

Kettering represented Gazza’s second foray into management, coming just months after a stint at Algarve United in Portugal’s lower leagues had failed to take off.

But despite some cynical